ACCA Launches Innovations to Its Qualification to Shape the Future of
Global Accountancy

October 10, 2016 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

NEW YORK & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) today took a
major step toward shaping the future of accountancy by unveiling major
innovations to its Master’s level qualification, tailored to meet the
strategic challenges of the 21st century’s disruptive
economy. The announcement follows an extensive, two-year review and
consultation with members, employers and learning providers across the
globe.

“Our ground-breaking redesign of the ACCA Qualification will give
students the forward-thinking strategic abilities and advanced skill set
required of modern professional accountants who will shape the future of
global business,” said Helen Brand OBE, chief executive of ACCA.

She added, “We’re delivering a qualification that meets the demands of
professional accountants in the 21st Century, while
maintaining the rigorous standards of technical, ethical, and
professional skills that has established ACCA as the international
benchmark for accountancy qualifications. These measures are important
as they will ensure that the rigor and relevance of the qualification
remains central to ACCA’s offering in emerging, as well as established,
markets.”

ACCA’s latest innovations to the top level of its qualification are new
Strategic Professional level exams, which will replace the existing
Professional level exams in September 2018, and a new Ethics and
Professional Skills module, to be introduced in October 2017. The
redesign enhances the breadth and depth of the qualification, with
greater focus on employability and the practical application of core
skills in the contemporary workplace. It includes:

Strategic Business Leader– an innovative case study
exam based on a realistic business scenario. This gives students the
skills and technical expertise required by modern business where
decisions need to be made, measured, and effectively communicated to
the wider organization.

Strategic Business Reporting– a new exam exposing
students to the wider context of finance and business reporting,
giving them the vital skills needed to explain and communicate to
stakeholders the implications of transactions and reporting.

An Ethics and Professional Skillsmodule -
making modifications to the existing ethics module, which ACCA was the
first professional body to offer to students in 2008. This new module
will equip them with the professional skills needed in the modern
workplace.

Added to these developments, ACCA offers the world’s first Master’s
degree integrated with a professional accountancy qualification,
delivered in partnership with the University of London. This unique
arrangement means students can take the Master’s route while completing
their Strategic Professional exams, or take the Master’s degree after
the ACCA Qualification.

“As an organization with a reputation for innovation, vision, and
leadership in the profession, we’ve responded with a qualification that
offers a complete and essential blend of technical and ethical
accounting competencies mixed with strategic leadership and professional
skills required to turn students into the confident, inspiring, and
trusted business partners that employers need,” Helen Brand said.

She noted the thoroughness and rigor of ACCA in planning the changes,
emphasizing that ACCA stakeholders will continue to play a role in how
the qualification is delivered in the future.

“Thorough and meticulous consultation and design testing with hundreds
of members, employers, C-suite executives, and students from around the
world helped us with these exciting developments,” she added. “We’ve
listened carefully to not just what current professionals and employers
think are essential skills now, but also carefully considered what will
be vital attributes of professional accountants of the future.”

ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is the global
body for professional accountants. It offers business-relevant,
first-choice qualifications to people of application, ability and
ambition around the world who seek a rewarding career in accountancy,
finance and management.

ACCA supports its 188,000 members and 480,000 students in 178
countries, helping them to develop successful careers in accounting and
business, with the skills required by employers. ACCA works through a
network of 100 offices and centres and more than 7,110
Approved Employers worldwide, who provide high standards of employee
learning and development. Through its public interest remit, ACCA
promotes appropriate regulation of accounting and conducts relevant
research to ensure accountancy continues to grow in reputation and
influence.